Where the Road Leads
by Hobbit of Narnia
Summary: Samwise has nothing left in Middle-Earth except grief so he boards one of the remaining ships heading for the Undying Lands. He wants to find the peace he knows he needs but when he arrives he doesn't find it in the way he expected. One-shot.


**Disclaimer:** Truly the tales and songs, (written by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), are utterly owned by said authors O Reader the Remarkable.

* * *

Samwise leaned over the side of the ship and peered into the dark of the Sea. It did not seem like the sea, for it only rippled slightly as the ship went through it or as the wind blew them along. And though it was not light he could see his reflection by the stars, his face was very careworn, his hair tousled by the wind, and a glimmer of emerald shone at his throat where his old grey cloak was fastened. He would never have looked into the deep of the sea on normal conditions even as calm as it was, for he feared being on water, (as most hobbits did). Yet for this voyage he felt no fear, only a sorrow and a longing that he could not understand. It rose deep within him, stirring up many lost hopes and desires. Never before had he ever felt this way. He breathed the sea air and began to recite words to a song he heard the day that Frodo and Bilbo left. He had remembered it as he remembered every word that bitter day:

_Shadows long before me lie,_  
_beneath the ever-bending sky,_  
_but islands lie behind the Sun_  
_that I shall raise ere all is done;_  
_lands there are to west of West,_  
_where night is quiet and sleep is rest._

"Rest," he muttered and closed his eyes thoughtfully.

He needed rest, and peace, that was why he boarded one of the remaining ships heading for Valinor. Frodo, his friend of friends had gone on long before, and his wife Rosie had passed away. He believed there to be nothing left in Middle-Earth except sleepless nights and cheerless days. So he was on his way towards the place he had often read about in poetry and stories. It was the Blessed Realm where the elves, immortal beings, dwelt when Middle-Earth had ceased to bring joy to them. It was a privilege he was given, for he had been a ring-bearer once. It was such a privilege that only two mortal people, as Sam recalled, had ever gone there. He would be the third.

_My time may come, I heard you say,_

_The memory of your very last words_

_We may meet again... sometime...someday_

_I'll go on Beyond to the cries of sea birds._

The darkened sky above sprinkled with stars was brightening to a deep pink as he sang softly. The sun was rising, shedding light on what was ahead that could not be seen before. It was as nothing Sam could have possibly imagined. White shores glittered as the sun shone upon them and behind them rose hills of green. The expanse of the island spanned out across the horizon, the Sea had now come to an end.

After the long journey into the West, the ship was finally drawing to it's destination. A breeze began from behind that swept his curly grey hair into his face and opened the sagging sails. His heartbeat fluttered. He gripped the side of the boat to steady himself and bit his lip as they came ever closer, tasting the salt of the Sea upon them. The journey was almost ended, the last of the course ahead, the isle becoming steadily clearer. Sam noticed that he held his breath while a feeling of joy had awakened inside him, for he was scanning the land for his friend whom he believed would be waiting for him. He could see many figures upon the shore and could hear merry music and laughter and song. But he did not see Frodo.

It seemed a lifetime until the ship actually arrived on the shores of the Undying Lands. The country smelled lovely and the merry voices were now louder, the singing reminded him of the times he stayed in Rivendell and Lothlorien. That only made things worse as Sam stepped out alone and forlorn in this land. He did not notice the soft sand beneath his feet for he had not the heart to take delight in it or the beautiful surroundings all about him. He kept searching the land with his eyes for his dear friend, but could find no trace of him.

Then he caught a glimpse of something, it looked like two blocks of stone placed fairly close to each other. They caught his interest so he went towards them. As they were not very far off it took him no time to reach them. He saw at once that they were of Elven make when he looked upon the first one, for the designs that ran around it were very intricate and very beautiful. Sam smiled when he looked at the carvings, such wonderful things could the immortal folk create. Then he turned his attention to the lettering and saw what he had never wanted to see. The smile vanished from his face, for he read:

_Iorhael_

_Hiro hon h__î__dh ab 'wananth._

Elvish though it was, he understood. He had not spent his days idly, for he took it upon himself to learn the Sindarin language. He saw:

_Frodo_

_May he find peace after death._

After the greatest sorrow in his life he had come upon another.

_He is gone then, gone..._

His throat closed and tears stung his eyes. He succeeded in holding them back, for it seemed that this was not a place for sorrow. The sounds of the elves could still be heard clearly, their laughing, singing, and music, he wondered how they could be full of mirth when he was mourning. He bowed his head and traced the inscription with his finger tenderly.

_You should've known this was what you'd find, Sam Gamgee._

He had been expecting joy and peace by reuniting with his friend, not despair. His foolish ideas when he was aboard the ship faded. He should have known that Frodo would be gone, but he didn't.

A sound suddenly startled him, he lifted his face to see what it was and saw something that he did not expect.

A great creature was lying about thirty feet away, not on the sand, but on grass that sloped down from the hills. He had not seen it before while he was on the ship nor when he had discovered Frodo's (and apparently Bilbo's) resting places, and he wondered how he hadn't. It was larger than any animal that he had ever seen, it looked terrible, powerful, and wonderful all at once. He felt everything else fade away, the elves, the singing, the music, and he seemed to be alone with the great animal. For a reason unknown to him, he felt fleeting joy when he looked upon the beast, but he was terrified.

_This is sure to be the end of me._

He dared not to look into it's fiery gold eyes, or move forward, he only fell upon his knees with his face buried in his hands. He began to weep, he became overcome with grief and in the presence of the terrible beast, he could hold his tears back no longer. Then a voice spoke that seemed to come from all directions. The Voice carried within it a hint of memory of someplace far away and long forgotten, he felt that he knew this Voice, or rather that It knew him.

"_Why do you weep my son?"_

He understood in his heart that he should give an answer, but he couldn't.

"_You weep for you are filled with sorrow," _came the Voice. "_You came for peace but feel as though you have not found it."_

Sam looked up with surprise at the answer, how could this Voice know when he had not spoken?

It was then that he realised that it was the creature that was speaking to him. It slowly rose to it's full height, and seemed so much bigger, but as it began to walk nearer it became smaller and smaller. At that moment Sam was not thinking of it's size, he only saw the beauty of the animal, it's swift steps and swaying sea of golden fur. He feared It, but not in the same way. He lowered his head to look at the sand, he was afraid to look into the creature's eyes.

The beast finally was before him; Sam could see two great paws in the whiteness of the shore, the claws, horribly sharp, peeked from the tawny fur.

"My dear child, look at me," came it's voice once more.

Sam sensed that he did not have any choice _but_ to look into it's face, so he did the wisest thing he could do, he raised his head again. At once he was enraptured by the eyes that he had feared to look into before. They were golden yellow as the sun, but later Sam recalled it was the sun that was as gold and as beautiful as His eyes. As he gazed into the eyes of the Lion, (for that was what it was, though Sam never knew), he felt a hope rise within him and a new strength. The Lion breathed upon the shaken hobbit and a warm, delicious smell enveloped him. His tears finally stopped. It was so quiet that he could hear the soft breath of the Lion. Then Samwise got up the courage to ask softly,

"Begging your pardon Sir, but I don't reckon that I know you. Though I must say that you seem familiar in some way, if you take my meaning."

"I know _you_ dear Samwise Gamgee, and that is well enough," He looked at Sam with love in His eyes.

"I know all of your toil and your cheer, your sacrifice and your conceits, your loves and your hates, your compassion and your harshness, your joy and your sorrow, your peace and your distress, I know you from the top of your head down to your toes. I also know of what you have done unto me, my Beloved."

Sam only looked puzzled when He had said this, but the Great Lion continued on.

"I was the one that you followed without hindrance. I was the one that you defended and rescued. I was the one that you gave up your food and water for. I was the one you comforted. I was the one that you carried up the Mountain of Doom. It was I that you have done all these things for, along with many others, my son."

There was a long silence after the Lion finished speaking.

"W-were you-well I mean to say-are you Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked quite bewildered especially since he had seen Frodo's place of burial.

"Nay my son," the Lion laughed, though not to mock him, and the skies seemed to brighten.

Sam was all the more confused.

_How could I have done all of that for Him? I did what He said for Mr. Frodo, but He isn't Mr Frodo. I can't make any sense of it._

The Lion knew Sam's thoughts and answered, "Anything that you did for those in need I take as being done unto Me, my child."

_Unto You? _

_But who are You? _

_How is it that you call me 'son', 'child', and 'Beloved'? _

_How __could_I_ be _Your_ child?_

All of these questions rushed through Sam's mind.

Then the Lion spoke clear and soft as a cool brook, yet mighty as a waterfall, "I was, I am, and always will be. For I am the Creator and King of all things. I count everyone as my child because I created each of them. And still there are some that will never acknowledge me as their Father or who will turn away from Me. Though I love _them_ they never will love _Me_." Then He gave a sigh, and Sam thought he saw a tear fall from His eye. Sam gazed ever intently upon His face, and trembled.

"I see it in your face that you love Me. So also do I love you, for you are worth more to me than all of the stars I have placed in the heavens, all of the jewels I placed within the earth, all of the gold I placed in deep caverns. Nothing will ever keep me from loving you my son, my child, my Beloved."

Samwise fell to the great paws of the Lion, again in tears, but he was crying now for a different reason. He felt so unworthy of His love. How could could the Creator of all things love a small hobbit who never sought Him? Sam's heart was bursting with remorse and anguish, he knew that he did not deserve to be loved by this King of Kings.

"Oh forgive me" he wept.

"I already have."

He looked up and saw tears in the Great Cat's eyes, so beautiful that he could compare them with nothing, they were precious as the stars, full of sorrow, full of joy. As he gazed into Lion's eyes everything he had done, everything he had been, everything that was once beautiful to him faded away. Sam's tears no longer stung and he had his breath once more. A peace settled over him that could only come after a storm, a peace that he had never known. He looked longingly in the Lion's face.

"I know what you are thinking dear one, but it cannot be so. You cannot tread this path, for the time is not yet come. For even those who you love have yet to travel it; I am the only one who has," as He spoke Sam looked down and felt the weight of grief upon him once more.

"Though you shall not follow me, I shall give you what you long for. Rest and think not of your past griefs and sorrows." He bent down and touched Sam's nose with his own.

Sam's eyes closed softly and he remembered no more.

* * *

He awoke. It seemed a minute, it seemed ten thousand years since he had closed his eyes. At first he could only remember the voice that had sent him to this deep sleep. Then he noticed that he was no longer on the white shore, he was lying upon downy turf. He saw his hands in front of him, they no longer looked frail and aged, but rather young. He felt his face, the lines that had crossed it were gone. He stood up and looked all about him and saw many things that could not be described by mere words. Then a sea of faces, some he recognized, and countless more that he didn't. But his attention was not on the surroundings nor the illimitable faces, it was fixed upon a face beyond anything there, beyond any comparison, beyond any words. It was Him.

He spoke,"Welcome Home."

A thrill of pure, true Joy pierced Samwise's heart.

* * *

_At Home at last_

_Here I am Bound_

_My grief is past_

_My Joy is found_

* * *

**Note:** (The first poem was written by Tolkien and the others 'The Memory of Friendship' and 'Where the Road Leads' are mine and you can read them in their entirety on my profile.)

Thank you so much for reading!

-Elanor, Hobbit of Narnia


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